Natural language interface customization

ABSTRACT

A predefined interface is presented to a remote user. A natural language inquiry from the remote user is received via the predefined interface. The natural language inquiry is configured for use in an analysis. A customized interface is presented to the remote user based on the analysis of the natural language inquiry. The customized interface includes a customized set of communications options for the remote user to route communications.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to customizing interfaces based onanalysis of natural language inquiries and statements. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to customizing userinterfaces based on analyzing natural language inquiries and statementsinput by users via predetermined interfaces.

2. Background Information

Large organizations often are required to process large volumes ofincoming communications, many of which are emails generated by visitorsto a website provided by the organization. Optimizing processing forsuch communications can impact both costs and visitor satisfaction.Accordingly, agents that process incoming communications are oftendivided into specialized agent groups in order to efficiently handlelarge volumes of incoming communications.

Typically, a website Contact Us page maintains contact information.Listing contact information on a website tends to present severalproblems, including visitor confusion, routing inaccuracy andunnecessary handling time. That is, a visitor may not properly perceivewhich agent group handles an issue based merely upon viewing listedcontact information. Additionally, when an incoming communication issent to the wrong agent group, the incoming communication needs to beredirected to the appropriate agent group for processing. Finally,improperly addressed incoming communications may be unnecessarilyprocessed initially by the wrong agent group before being subsequentlyprocessed by the right agent group following transfer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described in the detailed descriptionthat follows, by reference to the noted drawings by way of non-limitingexamples of embodiments of the present disclosure, in which likereference numerals represent similar parts throughout several views ofthe drawing, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary general computer system that includes a set ofinstructions for performing natural language interface customization;

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary communications network for natural languageinterface customization;

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary first webpage interface for natural languageinterface customization;

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary second webpage interface for natural languageinterface customization;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary method for performing natural languageinterface customization; and

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary method for performing natural languageinterface customization.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure, through one or more ofits various aspects, embodiments and/or specific features orsub-components, is thus intended to bring out one or more of theadvantages as specifically noted below.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofinteracting with a remote user includes presenting a predefinedinterface to the remote user. The method also includes receiving anatural language inquiry from the remote user via the predefinedinterface. The natural language inquiry is configured for use in ananalysis. The method further includes presenting a customized interfaceto the remote user based on the analysis of the natural languageinquiry. The customized interface includes a customized set ofcommunications options for the remote user to route communications.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the predefinedinterface includes a webpage.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the remoteuser is presented the predefined interface over the internet.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, thepredefined interface includes an inquiry interface for the remote userto input the natural language inquiry.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the customizedinterface includes a standardized template.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized interface includes customized content that is customizedbased on the context of the natural language inquiry.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized set of communications options includes a set of emailaddresses.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the customizedset of communications options are presented in association withcontext-sensitive information.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized set of communications options includes a set of telephonyaddresses.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized set of communications options include an expandable treemenu.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the customizedinterface further includes a customized set of predefined inquiries.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized set of predefined inquiries includes an expandable tree menu.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized set of predefined inquiries are linked to at least one secondpredefined interface corresponding to predefined answers to thepredefined inquiries.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the customizedinterface further includes at least one link to at least one resource.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized interface further includes at least one link to at least onesecond predefined interface corresponding to predefined information.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the at leastone link to the at least one second predefined interface is presentedvia the customized interface in association with context-sensitiveinformation.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the at least onelink to the at least one second predefined interface is changed based onthe remote user selecting one of the customized set of communicationsoptions.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, thecustomized set of predefined inquiries are changed based on the remoteuser selecting one of the customized set of communications options.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, at least one computerreadable medium stores a computer program that interacts with a remoteuser. The at least one computer readable medium includes a predefinedinterface presenting code segment that presents a predefined interfaceto the remote user. The at least one computer readable medium alsoincludes a natural language inquiry receiving code segment that receivesa natural language inquiry from the remote user via the predefinedinterface. The natural language inquiry is configured for use in ananalysis. The at least one computer readable medium further includes acustomized interface presenting code segment that presents a customizedinterface to the remote user based on the analysis of the naturallanguage inquiry. The customized interface includes a customized set ofcommunications options for the remote user to route communications.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a system forinteracting with a remote user includes a presenter configured topresent a predefined interface to the remote user. The system alsoincludes a receiver configured to receive a natural language inquiryfrom the remote user via the predefined interface. The natural languageinquiry is configured for use in an analysis. The presenter isconfigured to present a customized interface to the remote user based onthe analysis of the natural language inquiry. The customized interfaceincludes a customized set of communications options for the remote userto route communication.

Referring to FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem, on which a method for natural language interface customizationcan be implemented, is shown and is designated 100. The computer system100 can include a set of instructions that can be executed to cause thecomputer system 100 to perform any one or more of the methods orcomputer based functions disclosed herein. The computer system 100 mayoperate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using anetwork 101, to other computer systems or peripheral devices.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 100 may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 100 can alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wirelesstelephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner,a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, aweb appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particularembodiment, the computer system 100 can be implemented using electronicdevices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, whilea single computer system 100 is illustrated, the term “system” shallalso be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the computer system 100 may include aprocessor 110, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system 100 caninclude a main memory 120 and a static memory 130 that can communicatewith each other via a bus 108. As shown, the computer system 100 mayfurther include a video display unit 150, such as a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat paneldisplay, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT).Additionally, the computer system 100 may include an input device 160,such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device 170, such as a mouse.The computer system 100 can also include a disk drive unit 180, a signalgeneration device 190, such as a speaker or remote control, and anetwork interface device 140.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 1, the disk drive unit180 may include a computer-readable medium 182 in which one or more setsof instructions 184, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, theinstructions 184 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 184 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory 120,the static memory 130, and/or within the processor 110 during executionby the computer system 100. The main memory 120 and the processor 110also may include computer-readable media.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium 182 thatincludes instructions 184 or receives and executes instructions 184responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device connected to anetwork 101 can communicate voice, video or data over the network 101.Further, the instructions 184 may be transmitted or received over thenetwork 101 via the network interface device 140.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capturecarrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an email or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives may be considered a distributionmedium that is equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of acomputer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalentsand successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, natural languageinterface customization can be used to both reduce incomingcommunication volume and improve routing accuracy for incomingcommunications received by an organization. As disclosed herein, thevolume of incoming communications can be reduced by providing users withalternatives (i.e., to sending communications) based on userpoint-and-click interaction with user interfaces. The volume of incomingcommunications can also be reduced by providing users with alternatives(i.e., to sending communications) based on analysis of natural languageinquiries from the users. Where the alternatives are provided bycustomizing interfaces to present the alternatives to the users, thecustomized interfaces can also be used to enhance routing accuracy forthose users who still wish to forward communications for processing, byproviding targeted communications options in association with contextsensitive information that describes each targeted communicationsoption. Finally, routing accuracy for natural language communicationsfrom the users can also be improved based on analysis of the naturallanguage communications from the users.

An organization provides a webpage on the internet. The process ofnatural language interface customization begins by prompting visitors toprovide a natural language inquiry or declarative statement indicatingthe information sought by the visitor. The visitor responds to theprompt by providing a natural language inquiry or declarative statementin a designated window on the webpage. When a user sends a naturallanguage inquiry or declarative statement, the content of the inquiry ordeclarative statement can be scanned and analyzed according to analgorithmic analysis. Application of a natural language engine toanalyze the scanned natural language inquiries and declarativestatements results in a determination of which contact options, FAQs andweb support links will likely lead the visitor to the informationsought. The natural language engine applies the algorithmic analysis todetermine the underlying meaning of the natural language inquiry ordeclarative statement. For example, a limited and specific list ofcontact options, predefined inquiries (FAQs) and web support tools maybe generated based on the analysis. The predefined inquiries (FAQs), websupport tools and any other alternative self help tools are generated tohelp a visitor handle the issue without involving an agent. The visitoris thereby presented with context sensitive information that describescontact options and self help tools relevant to the natural languageinquiry or declarative statement.

The contact options may be presented as a variety of communicationmodes, including internet/email, phone and voice or video conferencing.Predefined inquiries (FAQs) or web support tools may be presented aslinks to separate parts of the website, as links that result in pop-upwindows, or as links that result in reconfiguration of the immediatewebpage, the pressing of any of which will result in the predefinedinquiries (FAQs) or web support tools being presented as information forthe visitor.

Additionally, at any time during a visit to a website, pointing andclicking any of the contact options, predefined inquiries (FAQs) or websupport tools may result in reconfiguration of the immediate webpage, topresent a set of contact options, predefined inquiries (FAQs) and/or websupport tools most relevant to the contact choice, predefined inquiries(FAQs) or web support tools selected by pointing and clicking.Application of predetermined rules may result in the reconfiguration togroup specific contact options, predefined inquiries (FAQs) or websupport tools together as related. Thus, even when a user is firstpresented with a basic predefined webpage interface with the most common(but varied) contact options, predefined inquiries (FAQs) or web supporttools, selection of even any of these common contact options, predefinedinquiries (FAQs) or web support tools may result in reconfiguration ofthe webpage to present an entire set of contact options, predefinedinquiries (FAQs) and web support tools related to the selected contactchoice, predefined inquiry (FAQ) or web support tool.

Using a general computer system as shown in FIG. 1, a user is providedwith natural language interface customization. The user accesses awebpage and is presented with a window that prompts the user to enter anatural language inquiry or declarative statement. A first naturallanguage interface customization processor scans the text of the naturallanguage inquiry or declarative statement and identifies keywords and/orphrases. Either the first natural language interface customizationprocessor or a second natural language interface customization processorperforms an algorithmic analysis of the identified keywords and/orphrases to determine the underlying meaning of the natural languageinquiry or declarative statement. A probabilistic likelihood of thenatural language inquiry or declarative statement being related topredetermined topics is determined by either the first natural languageinterface customization processor or the second natural languageinterface customization processor. Contact choices, predefined inquiries(FAQs) and web support tools for the most likely topics are thenpresented to the user via a reconfigured webpage.

In FIG. 2, an exemplary communications networks for natural languageinterface customization includes an application server 220 whichprovides data to communications devices over a data communicationsnetwork 210. The exemplary communications devices shown in FIG. 2include a cell phone 202, a personal digital assistant (PDA) 204, adesktop/personal computer 206, and a laptop computer 208. Theapplication server 220 also communicates with an analysis server 230,such as when the application server 220 provides the text scanning andthe analysis server 230 provides the algorithmic analysis to determinenatural language interface customization.

The application server 220 includes a first presentation moduleconfigured to present a predefined webpage interface to the remote user.The application server 220 also includes a receiver configured toreceive a natural language inquiry from the remote user via thepredefined webpage interface. The natural language inquiry is configuredfor use in the text scanning by the application server 220 and thealgorithmic analysis by the analysis server 230. The application server220 also includes a second presentation module configured to present acustomized interface to the remote user based on the analysis. Thecustomized interface provided by the second presentation module includesa customized set of communications options for the remote user to routecommunications, a customized set of predefined inquiries (FAQs) and acustomized set of web support tools.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary predefined first interface 300 for naturallanguage interface customization. As shown, the exemplary predefinedfirst interface 300 includes an inquiry interface 350 by which a user isprompted to enter a natural language inquiry or declarative statement.The exemplary predefined first interface 300 also includes acommunications options area 310, which presents two initial set addressoptions and an initial expandable address option in association withcontext sensitive information. A predefined inquiries area 320 includestwo initial predefined inquiries in association with context sensitiveinformation. A links area 330 presents two initial links in associationwith context sensitive information.

The predefined first interface 300 is generated by, e.g., theapplication server 220 shown in FIG. 2, and forwarded to a usercommunications device over the data communications network 210. Thepredefined first interface 300 is generated by a predefined interfacepresenting code segment processed by the application server 220. Whenthe user inputs a natural language inquiry or declarative statement viathe predefined first interface 300, a natural language inquiry receivingcode segment processed by the application server 220 receives thenatural language inquiry.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary customized second interface 400 for naturallanguage interface customization. As shown, the exemplary customizedsecond interface 400 includes an inquiry interface 450 by which a usermay be prompted to enter a natural language inquiry or declarativestatement or which may show the natural language inquiry or declarativestatement entered into the inquiry interface 350 of the predefined firstinterface 300. The exemplary customized second interface 400 alsoincludes a communications options area 410.

The communications options area 410 shows the expansion of theexpandable address option presented in the communications options area310 shown in FIG. 3. That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, thecustomized second interface 400 is generated based upon the user'spointing and clicking the expandable address option in thecommunications options area 310. As explained above, at any time duringa visit to a website, pointing and clicking any of the contact options,predefined inquiries (FAQs) or web support tools may result inreconfiguration of the immediate webpage, to present a set of contactoptions, predefined inquiries (FAQs) and/or web support tools mostrelevant to the contact choice, predefined inquiries (FAQs) or websupport tools selected by pointing and clicking. Thus, even when theuser is first presented with the predefined first interface 300,selection of even a common expandable address option as would be shownin the predefined first interface 300 results in reconfiguration of thewebpage to present a customized set of contact options, predefinedinquiries (FAQs) and web support tools related to the selectedexpandable address option.

The communications options area 410 shows third and fourth addressoptions which are different from the two initial address options shownin FIG. 3. The third and fourth address options are those addressoptions which are not sub-options of the expandable address option, butwhich are predetermined to relate most closely to the expandable addressoption and which are therefore presented when the user selects theexpandable address option in FIG. 3. A predefined inquiries area 420includes third and fourth predefined inquiries, each of which ispresented as a result of the user selecting the expandable addressoption shown in the communications options area 310. Finally, a linksarea 430 presents third and fourth links, each of which is presented asa result of the user selecting the expandable address option in FIG. 3.

The customized second interface 400 is generated by, e.g., theapplication server 220, and forwarded to a user communications deviceover the data communications network 210. The customized secondinterface 400 is generated by a customized interface presenting codesegment processed by the application server 220.

Finally, although the customized second interface 400 explained above isgenerated and presented based on the user pointing and clicking theexpandable address option in FIG. 3, a customized second interface 400will also be generated based on analysis of natural language inquiriesfrom the users as explained below.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary method of natural language interfacecustomization. As shown, a contact request is received at S505. Thecontact request may be received when, for example, a user types the nameof an internet site into a browser and a application server 220 iscontacted. A predefined interface is provided at S510. The predefinedinterface may be, for example, a main webpage that is returned to theuser upon receipt of the contact request. The predefined interface mayalso be, for example, a secondary “Contact Us” webpage accessible fromthe main page. The exemplary webpage shown in FIG. 3 is an example of apredefined interface. In the example where the predefined interface is awebpage, the webpage need not be the same for every user anywhere in theworld at any time. Rather, a predefined interface may vary, for example,based upon a language or location of the device used by the userrequesting contact or by the time of day or day of week at which thecontact request is received. However, even where different users areprovided webpage variations based upon language, location or time, thepredefined interface may be based on a standardized webpage template.Thus, the predefined interface is provided to a remote user, and in theexample of a webpage the predefined interface is provided to a remoteuser over the internet.

In the example of a webpage, the predefined webpage interface includesan inquiry window for the remote user to input the natural languageinquiry. A natural language inquiry is received at S515 via thepredefined interface. The natural language inquiry is initially receivedby the application server 220 that provides the predefined interface.For example, the natural language inquiry may be an inquiry ordeclarative statement input by a user in response to a prompt on a“Contact Us” page accessible from the initial main page.

The natural language inquiry is scanned at S518 and analyzed at S520. Inthe example of text input by the user in response to a prompt, textscanning at S518 begins by compiling the input text in the order inputby the user, and then parsing the compiled text for individual keywordsand patterns of keywords. In the analysis at S520, individual keywordsand patterns of keywords are then matched by an algorithmic model toprobable topics according to likelihood. At S525, communications optionsare determined, at S530, predefined inquiries (FAQs) are determined, andat S535, additional web support options are determined. Although thematching of individual keywords and patterns of keywords to probabletopics is performed separately for communications options, predefinedinquiries (FAQs), and web support in the example shown in FIG. 5, suchmatching can be performed together by pre-matching predetermined topicsto predetermined communications options, predefined inquiries (FAQs) andweb support, and then deriving the communications options, predefinedinquiries (FAQs) and web support based on determining the most likelytopic.

At S540, a customized interface is provided with a set of the determinedcommunications options, predefined inquiries (FAQs) and links to websupport. The customized interface may appear as an entirely newinterface, or may appear as an update of the original predefinedinterface, as shown in FIG. 4, with the original communications options,predefined inquiries (FAQs) and links to web support replaced or revisedwith the determined communications options, predefined inquiries (FAQs)and links to web support. The customized set of communications optionsare presented in association with context-sensitive information. Thatis, each of the communications options may be presented in associationwith information such as a department or topic that may relate to thenatural language inquiry provided by the user. Examples of suchcontext-sensitive information include “complaints”, “new service”,“cancelling service” or any number of other context-sensitive topicsthat may relate to information sought by a visitor.

Thus, a customized interface is presented to the remote user based onthe analysis of the natural language inquiry. The customized interfaceincludes a customized set of communications options for the remote userto route communications. Whether only one, or more than one, ofcustomized communications options, predefined inquiries or links to websupport are provided, such customized communications options, predefinedinquiries and/or links is content that is customized based on theanalysis of the context of the natural language inquiry.

The customized set of communications options may include at least a setof email addresses and/or a customized set of telephony addresses. Thecustomized set of communications options may include an expandable treemenu in association with context-sensitive information that describescommon inquiries. For example, a label “billing” may be initiallypresented in association with an expandable menu of sub-labels fordifferent communications options for different topics. When the userselects “billing”, the customized webpage interface may be revised toshown the various addresses associated with different billingdepartments. For example, for a telecommunications service provider, theaddresses of the expandable menu under “billing” may include “cable” and“telephone”.

As explained above, the customized interface may also include acustomized set of predefined inquiries (FAQs). The customized set ofpredefined inquiries (FAQs) may also include an expandable tree menu inassociation with context-sensitive information that describes commoninquiries. Additionally, the customized set of predefined inquiries maybe linked to one or more pop-up windows or different sections of thewebsite with content of defined answers to the predefined inquiries.Alternatively, selection of a predefined inquiry may result in arevision of at least part of the original customized interface topresent predefined answers to the predefined inquiries.

The customized interface may further include at least one link. Thelinks may be presented via the customized interface in association withcontext-sensitive information, and selection of the link may result inpresentation of a resource associated with the context-sensitiveinformation such as a different section of the website which presentspredetermined information associated with the context-sensitiveinformation associated with the selected link. That is, the customizedinterface may further include at least one link to at least one secondpredefined interface corresponding to predefined information.

At S545, a determination is made whether the user has selected anintermediate communication option, predefined inquiry or link, such asby selecting the expandable address option in the communications optionsarea 310. If the user has selected an intermediate communicationsoption, predefined inquiry or link at S545 (S545=Yes), revisedcommunications options, predefined inquiries and links are provided atS550. Such revised communications options, predefined inquiries andlinks may be provided by associating communications options, predefinedinquiries and links as a predetermined family of related options whichshould be presented together when a member of the family is selected bythe user. Thus, if the user has selected an intermediate communicationsoption, predefined inquiry or link at S545 (S545=Yes), the customizedinterface is revised and presented to the remote user. That is, based onselection of an intermediate communications option, link(s) to websupport on second predefined interface(s) and links to predefinedinquiries (FAQs) may be changed.

After providing the revised communications options, predefined inquiriesand links via the initial customized interface at S550, or if the userdoes not select an intermediate communications option, predefinedinquiry or link at S545 (S545=No), a selected communications option,predefined inquiry or link is received at S555. At S560, the response tothe selected communications option, predefined inquiry (FAQ) or link isprovided at S560 and the process ends at S565. If the user has selectedan email communications option, the response at S560 may be to presentan email form with a predetermined destination email address provided inaccordance with the selection. If the user has selected a telephonecommunications option, a screen with the number to call (with a link tothe number if voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is available) may beprovided. If the user has selected a predefined inquiry (FAQ) option, ascreen with predetermined questions and answers may be provided at S560.Finally, if a link option is selected, a new webpage may be providedwith information related to the context sensitive topic associated withthe selected link.

FIG. 6 is another method of natural language interface customization.The exemplary method shown in FIG. 6 is applicable when a user hasselected an email communications option, and an email form with apredetermined destination email address is provided to the user. AtS605, an email is received from the user. At S610, the text of the emailis scanned. At S620, it is determined whether the email matches aprevious email in a knowledge database. That is, at S620, adetermination is made whether the email is identical or substantiallyidentical to one or more previous emails which have been properlyanswered for other users. If the email matches a previous email in aknowledge database at S620 (S620=Yes), the set answer from the knowledgedatabase is provided to the user in an email response, and the processends at S650.

However, if the email does not match a previous email in the knowledgedatabase at S620 (S620=No), the email will be routed to an agent forhandling. Accordingly, at S635, keywords in the email are identified andat S640 the identified keywords are matched with a particular topicassociated with a particular destination address which corresponds to anagent or agent group identified as most appropriate to handle emails forthe topic. At S645 the email is routed to the destination address forthe agent or agent group, and the process ends at S650.

As described above, customized interfaces may be presented in responseto analysis of natural language inquiries, as well as in response touser point-and-click interaction with user interfaces. Further, emailsmay be routed in response to analysis of natural language inquiries. Thecustomization of interfaces may result in fewer emails being sent toagents, insofar as the predefined inquiries (FAQs) and links to webpagesupport may provide users with information that would otherwise beprovided by an agent. Further, the customization of interfaces and thesubsequent routing of emails may result in improved accuracy and lessprocessing.

An example of natural language interface customization begins with auser typing an address into a browser window and then clicking on thecontext sensitive label “contact us” which appears on the main page. Theresultant predefined webpage interface may be labeled “Tell Us YourSubject”, and specific instructions may be provided such as “Pleaseprovide a brief description of what you would like to contact us aboutand we will display your options for contacting us”. A user may beprompted to enter a natural language inquiry up to 75 characters/spaces,and one or more examples may even be provided.

If the user enters an inquiry such as “How do I change the contactinformation for my account?”, the user may be presented with acustomized webpage interface. The customized webpage interface mayinclude a section entitled “Email Us” with instructions to “Email UsAbout One of These Subjects”, and context-sensitive informationpresented in association with a hyperlink to an email form withdifferent destination addresses automatically filled in for differenttopics. The customized webpage interface may also include a sectionentitled “Help Yourself”, and context-sensitive information presented inassociation with tabs that, when clicked, result in the customizedinterface being updated with a window with a predeterminedquestion/answer pair provided. Finally, the customized webpage interfacemay include a section entitled “Web Support”, and context-sensitiveinformation presented in association with links that, when pressed,result in a new preconfigured webpage being presented which presentsinformation associated with the selected context-sensitive information.Further, in any of the sections on such a webpage, expandable optionsmay be presented in association with context-sensitive information, andselection of an expandable option may result not only in presentation ofthe expanded sub-options, but also in revision of the informationpresented in other areas of the customized webpage interface. Finally,if an email option is ultimately selected, even the email itself can beanalyzed to ensure routing to a most appropriate agent based on naturallanguage analysis.

Accordingly, by customizing a webpage interface based on naturallanguage inquiry analysis as described above, an organization may reducethe number of incoming emails and the number of misdirected emails.Accordingly, incoming visitor communications can be reduced byhighlighting context specific predefined inquiries (FAQs) and websupport tools as an alternative to communications. Additionally, naturallanguage interface customization improves routing accuracy forcommunications still sent by visitors because natural language interfacecustomization as the customization of interfaces presents contactinformation to a user based on information actually entered by the user,and because communications may be analyzed and routed even after theyare sent by the user.

Of course, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples andembodiments shown herein. For example, the present disclosure is notlimited to webpages, emails, contact options, predefined inquiries(FAQs), web support, or any of the other examples shown herein.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may notbe drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may beexaggerated, while other proportions may be minimized. Accordingly, thedisclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative ratherthan restrictive.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein,individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover,although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b) and is submitted with the understanding that it will not beused to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Inaddition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may begrouped together or described in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed toless than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus,the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimedsubject matter.

The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximumextent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to bedetermined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the followingclaims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited bythe foregoing detailed description.

Although the invention has been described with reference to severalexemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words that have beenused are words of description and illustration, rather than words oflimitation. Changes may be made within the purview of the appendedclaims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention in its aspects. Although the inventionhas been described with reference to particular means, materials andembodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed; rather, the invention extends to all functionallyequivalent structures, methods, and uses such as are within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of an application server interactingwith a remote user over a network, the method comprising: receiving, bythe application server, a contact request from the remote user;transmitting, by the application server to a remote user computingdevice, a predefined interface in response to the contact request by theremote user, wherein the predefined interface is presented to the remoteuser, by displaying the predefined interface on the remote usercomputing device, the predefined interface being customized by theapplication server based on specified conditions including the locationof the remote user computing device, the time of the day, the day of theweek, and a type of remote user language in which the contact request isreceived by the application server; receiving, at the applicationserver, a natural language inquiry from the remote user via thepredefined interface; text scanning, by the application server, thenatural language inquiry received at the application server; analyzing,by an analysis server in communication with the application server by acommunication link different from the network, the natural languageinquiry based on the type of remote user language of the contactrequest, which has been text scanned by the application server, from theremote user; determining, by the application server, a customizedplurality of communication options based on the analyzing of the naturallanguage inquiry that has been text scanned; and transmitting, by theapplication server to the remote user computing device, a customizedinterface, the customized interface being determined based on theanalysis of the natural language inquiry by the analysis server that hasbeen text scanned by the application server; wherein the customizedinterface is presented to the remote user, the customized interfaceincluding the customized plurality of communications options for theremote user to route subsequent communications, wherein the customizedinterface comprises customized content that is customized based on thecontext of the natural language inquiry, wherein a customized pluralityof predefined inquiries are changed based on the remote user selectingone of the customized plurality of communications options, and whereinthe customized interface further includes at least one link to at leastone resource.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefinedinterface comprises a webpage.
 3. The method according to claim 1,wherein the remote user is presented the predefined interface over theinterne.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefinedinterface includes an inquiry interface for the remote user to input thenatural language inquiry.
 5. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe customized interface comprises a standardized template.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the customized plurality ofcommunications options comprises a plurality of email addresses.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the customized plurality ofcommunications options are presented in association withcontext-sensitive information.
 8. The method according to claim 1,wherein the customized plurality of communications options comprises aplurality of telephony addresses.
 9. The method according to claim 1,wherein the customized plurality of communications options comprise anexpandable tree menu.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecustomized interface further comprises a customized plurality ofpredefined inquiries.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein thecustomized plurality of predefined inquiries comprises an expandabletree menu.
 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the customizedplurality of predefined inquiries are linked to at least one secondpredefined interface corresponding to predefined answers to thepredefined inquiries.
 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecustomized interface further includes at least one link to at least onesecond predefined interface corresponding to predefined information. 14.The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one link to theat least one second predefined interface is presented via the customizedinterface in association with context-sensitive information.
 15. Themethod according to claim 13, wherein the at least one link to the atleast one second predefined interface is changed based on the remoteuser selecting one of the customized plurality of communicationsoptions.
 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing, bythe analysis server, the natural language inquiry that has been textscanned from the remote user includes matching individual keywords andpatterns of keywords by an algorithmic model to probable topicsaccording to likelihood.
 17. A system for an application serverinteracting with a remote user over a network, the system comprising: anapplication server configured to receive a contact request by the remoteuser, and transmit a predefined interface in response to the receivedcontact request; a remote computing device configured to receive thepredefined interface that was transmitted by a transmitter at theapplication server to the remote user computing device over the network,in response to a contact request by the remote user; a presenterconfigured to present the received predefined interface to the remoteuser, by displaying the predefined interface on the remote usercomputing device, the predefined interface being customized by theapplication server based on specified conditions including the locationof the remote user computing device, the time of the day, the day of theweek that the contact request is received by the server, and a type ofremote user language in which the contact request is received by theapplication server; a receiver, at the application server, configured toreceive a natural language inquiry from the remote user via thepredefined interface; a text scanner, at the application server,configured to text scan the natural language inquiry received at theapplication server; an analysis server in communication with theapplication server by a communication link different from the network,configured to analyze the text scanned natural language inquiry based onthe type of remote user language of the content request from the remoteuser, a determiner, at the application server, configured to determine acustomized plurality of communication options based on an analysis ofthe natural language inquiry by the analysis server; wherein thetransmitter at the application server is configured to transmit acustomized interface to the remote user computing device, the customizedinterface being determined based on the analysis of the natural languageinquiry by the analysis server, wherein the presenter is configured topresent the customized interface to the remote user, the customizedinterface including the customized plurality of communications optionsfor the remote user to route subsequent communications, wherein thecustomized interface comprises customized content that is customizedbased on the context of the natural language inquiry, wherein acustomized plurality of predefined inquiries are changed based on theremote user selecting one of the customized plurality of communicationsoptions, and wherein the customized interface further includes at leastone link to at least one resource.
 18. At least one non-transitorycomputer readable medium for storing a computer program that isconfigured to facilitate an application server to interact with a remoteuser over a network, comprising: a contact request receiving segment,for receiving, by the application server, a contact request from theremote user; a predefined interface transmitting segment, fortransmitting, by the application server to a remote computing device, apredefined interface in response to the contact request by the remoteuser, wherein the predefined interface is presented to the remote user,by displaying the predefined interface on the remote user computingdevice, the predefined interface being customized by the applicationserver based on specified conditions including the location of theremote user computing device, the time of the day, the day of the week,and a type of remote user language in which the contact request isreceived by the application server; a natural language inquiry receivingcode segment that receives, at the application server, a naturallanguage inquiry from the remote user via the predefined interface; textscanning, by the application server, the natural language inquiryreceived at the application server; an analyzing segment, that analyzes,by an analysis server in communication with the application server by acommunication link different from the network, the natural languageinquiry based on the type of remote user language of the contactrequest, which has been text scanned by the application server, from theremote user; a determining segment, that determines, by the applicationserver, a customized plurality of communication options based on theanalyzing of the natural language inquiry that has been text scanned;and a transmitting segment, that transmits by the application server tothe remote user computing device, a customized interface, the customizedinterface being determined based on the analysis of the natural languageinquiry by the analysis server that has been text scanned by theapplication server; wherein the customized interface is presented to theremote user, the customized interface including the customized pluralityof communications options for the remote user to route subsequentcommunications, wherein the customized interface comprises customizedcontent that is customized based on the context of the natural languageinquiry, wherein a customized plurality of predefined inquiries arechanged based on the remote user selecting one of the customizedplurality of communications options, and wherein the customizedinterface further includes at least one link to at least one resource.19. The system of claim 17, wherein the analyzing of the naturallanguage inquiry by the analysis server includes matching individualkeywords and patterns of keywords by an algorithmic model to probabletopics according to likelihood.